Spool



Patented Aug. 22, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SPOOL v Frank J.Lenox, Weehawken, N. J.

Application April 8, 1946, Serial N o. 660,461

4 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in spools, reelsand similar winding units, and to the method of their assembly.

Since spools are customarily employed only once and then discarded, theymust be made of vinexpensive but sturdy materials whose assembly must besimple and readily adapted for mass production. Cardboard or otherfibrous heads and traverses were heretofore clamped together by means ofpaper, wooden, cardboard or similar plugs to which the head and traversewere glued, stapled or otherwise fastened. Another expedient was to passa metal sleeve through the cylindrical traverse and beading its ends tohold the heads and traverse together. The practical objections to suchstructures were their high cost, the danger of the loosening of theheads, the complexity of the method of assembly, and the protrusion ofthe wooden plugs or the metal beads beyond the outside faces of theheads, `making stacking and shipping more di'icult and expensive.

The object of the invention is a spool which has none of thesedisadvantages and which can be readily assembled from inexpensivematerials.

With this object in view, I provide a substantially cylindrical clampingmeans for attaching separately each head to an end of the traverse. Theclamping sleeve has two projections or deformations; one engaging thehead and the other the traverse. In the preferred embodiment heredisclosed the first projection is in the form of a flange projecting atright angles from one end of the clamping sleeve and adapted to clampahead against one end of the traverse. The other projection is a flangeor bead formed. in the other end of the sleeve and arranged to penetrateinto the body of the traverse.

According to the novel method by which I prefer to assemble the spool,the Iclamping sleeve is formed with the projection or flange adapted topenetrate into the traverse so that it can be inserted through aperforation in the head into one end of the traverse. The end of thetraverse within which the clamping sleeve projects is then held in anysuitable die against which the projection or flange is pushed so that itwill penetrate into the body of the traverse and remain lodged therein,holding the traverse rmly against the head.

More clearly to disclose the nature of the invention, I shall nowdescribe in detail a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to thedrawings in which:

Fig. l is a vertical cross section of an assembled spool; and

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section of a sleeve in the course ofassembly.

I is a hollow -cylindrical traverse formed of paper, cardboard, or othermaterial suitable for the purpose. The traverse as well as the spoolheads must have the strength to withstand the use ge to which they areput, and the composition of the traverse must be such that theprojections in the clamping sleeve may be forced into the traverse bodyto anchor it. While I have found cardboard particularly useful for thispurpose and shall describe in the specification and claims the traverseand heads as formed of cardboard, it should be understood that thisexpression is intended to cover any other suitable material.

The heads 2 are circular cardboard discs, each having a centralperforation of the same diameter as the inside diameter of thetraverse'I. The heads 2 may be of the same thickness as the walls of thetraverse I, or they may beV different.

3 is the clamping sleeve. It consists of a cylindrical metal body whichis short With respect to the traverse and which may be either acontinuous cylinder or a split cylinder formed of sufficiently resilientmaterial to permit the performance of the operations to be presentlydescribed. One end of the sleeve 3 is bent out at right angles to form aprojection or flange 4 adapted to engage the outside surface of a head 2around the central perforation thereof and to clamp it against an end ofthe traverse. This flange may be continuous or it may consist ofprojections engaging the head in the desired manner.

The other end of the sleeve 3 has also a projection or flange 5projecting at right angles.

clamping The flange 5 has a smaller outside diameter than the flange andthis flange also may be continuous or discontinuous, consisting of teethor prongs projecting from the sleeve 3. Flange 5 is forced into the bodyof the traverse I, thus holding the head 2 firmly against one end of thetraverse I.

The other head 2 is clamped in the same manner to the other end of thetraverse I.

It will be noted in Fig. l that the flange 4 lies almost ush against theoutside face of the head 2 and thus permits ready stacking of finishedspools. The inside flange 5 is imbedded in the traverse I, wherebypersons handling the finished spools will not cut their lingers on anysharp metal projections.

Obviously, the flange, teeth or projections 5 may be formed in the bodyof the sleeve 3 rather than at the end thereof, although theconstruction illustrated is preferred.

While the assembly may be `effected in many Ways, I prefer thefollowing:

As shown in Fig. 2, the ange 4 is formed on one end of the sleeve 3 inits final condition. However, the other end of the sleeve 3 is normallycompressed into a bead 6 which slopes inwardly. from-the wall or skirtof. the sleeve and has its end bent out into the ange 5. Thus, theoutside edge of the flange has a smaller diameter than the body or theskirt of the sleeve 3,

and can, therefore, readily be inserted throughthe perforation in thehead 2 and the opening of the traverse I.

Once the sleeve 3 is pushed throughfthe head 2 and into the end of thetraverse I, a die T, such as a split ring, is applied aroundthe outsidesurface of traversal firmly to hold it against displacement.

A ram 8 having a tapered end 9 may'l now be pushedthrough-thesleeve- 3',the body of the ram having the same outside diameter as'the insidediameter. of the sleeve 3. The tapered end will gradually straighten outthe bead 6in thesleeve and' thus forceA the flange 5 through the insidesurface of the-traverse Iy into the body thereof. When the ram iswithdraw-n, the sleeve 3 will be left in the position shown inFig. 1.

It wih be obvious from therabove that the spool may be readily assembledby means of automatic machinery, thus minimizing costs and insuringuniformity, and that many modifications in the structure and process maybe practiced without departing from the spirit of the invention definedin the claims.

What-I claim is:

1. An clamp for holding a centrally perforated cardboard spool head to ahollow cylindrical cardboard traverse consistingl of a metal sleeveshorter than the'traverse and having the same outside diameter as thecentral perforation in the-head'and the inside diameter of the traverse,one end of the sleeve being flanged to engage the outside surface of'the head around the central perforation and the other end having asharp-edged bead formed therein, the edge of the beadhaving a smalleroriginal diameter than the body ofthe sleeve and arranged to penetrateinto the body of the traverse through the inside surface thereof.

2. Ina spool, in combination, a hollow cylindrical traverse, twocentrally perforated discs, a clamp for securing each endof thetraversefto a disc, each of said clamps comprising an open ended sleeve,a first flange projecting from one end of the sleeve adapted to lieagainst the outside surfaceV of the disc surrounding the perforation,and a. second flange projecting from the other end. of the sleeveadaptedto penetrate the inside surface of the traverse, the diameter of theperforation being the same as the inside diameter of the traverse, thediameter of the sleeve throughout most of its length being substantiallythe same as the diameter of the perforation and the traverse except atthe second flange where the original diameter of the sleeve is smallerthan the inside diameter of the traverse and the same as the diameter ofthe traverse after said second flange has penetrated.- the. traversetocomplete assembly of' the spool.

3. A clamp for holding a centrally perforated cardboard spool head to ahollow cylindrical cardboard traverse, said clamp comprising a sheetmetal sleeve shorter than the traverse and having oppositely disposedopen ends, a continuous flange projecting substantially at right anglesfrom a first end and adapted to lie against the outside surfacesurrounding the perforation in the head, a continuous bead projectingsubstantially at` rightanglesfromel second end of the sleeve and adaptedtopenetrate the inside surface of the traverse,l the wall ofthesleeve.at the second end being sloped inwardly just above the point Where thebead isformed to make the original diameter ofthe sleeve and bead at thesecond end smaller. than the inside diameter of the traverse, thediameter. atthe flange being greater than the diameter of. thetraverse,and the diameter of thesleeveat saidsecondend being the same as theinsidediameter of. the trav.- erse after said beadV has penetrated the.traverse to. complete assembly of the spool.

4. A spoolhead assembly. for attachment. to a relatively resilienttraverse, comprising, aperfor.- ated head, a`4 relatively rigidsleevaafirst. flange projecting from one end. of the sleeve for engaging thehead. around` the perforation. to Vclamp thehead. to the sleeve, asecond flange projecting from theother end of. the sleeve adaptedtopenetrate the inside surface of the traverse, the diameter of the sleevebeing the same as that of the traverse except at the secondange where itis originally smaller, permitting. insertion into the traverse and laterexpanded to make the flange penetrate Ithe traverse to, completeattachment of the head tothe traverse.

FRANK J; LENOX.

REFERENCES CITED The-following references are of record. in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 668,974 Buedingen Feb. 26', 19011,444,002' Mossberg Feb. 6, 1923 1,542,611 Clark June 16, 1925 1,836,974Kjellstrom Dec. l5', 1931 1,889,278 Dunlap Nov. 29, 1932

